Seth and Andrea on the challenges of being their families’ breadwinners
Give yourself time to cry and rant; allow yourself to feel tired. Once you’re done with all these, take a deep breath and reflect on the real reason you are doing things.”
Thus said actor Seth Fedelin as a way of paying tribute to young family breadwinners like him.
“Be proud of yourself, especially those of you who weren’t forced, but personally chose to help your families financially. I salute you! On your own, you’ve learned the importance of being able to provide a better life for your families,” the 20-year-old pointed out.
“But just like everyone else, you’re only human. It’s normal for you to feel tired, to feel hurt, or angry. Allow yourself to feel these emotions. After this, simply look at the faces of the people who are smiling at you—they are your siblings, parents, grandparents, who are happily watching the flat screen smart TV that you bought for them,” he added.
Solid support system
Andrea Brillantes, who is promoting her last project with Seth, Dolly Dulu’s “Lyric & Beat,” couldn’t agree more. Like Seth, Andrea is also the family breadwinner. “My advice to you is to make your family aware of how difficult it is for you to be the one to provide for them financially. This is so that they will develop empathy, so that they will be more appreciative of what you do for them. I started working when I was 10 years old. It had been really hard for me. Luckily, now that my siblings are older, our relationship has improved. I now have a solid support system at home,” she said.
Andrea added that it’s best to find friends who are in a similar situation, “because the things that breadwinners go through can only be appreciated by fellow breadwinners.”
The actress, who admitted to having broken up with Seth in 2021 but has remained good friends with him, added: “If, like me, you already have that kind of friend in your life, then I’m happy for you. You now have a sturdy shoulder to cry on. Meanwhile, to those who haven’t, you have God to guide you. If things are hard at home, I just lock myself up in my room, kneel and cry to Him. I always feel better after I do that.”
Important decisions
Seth added that as a breadwinner, you will sometimes be forced to make important decisions on your own, “but make sure you have your parents backing you up. That’s why they’re here.”
He told Inquirer Entertainment: “My being a breadwinner does not mean my parents no longer have a say on what I can and cannot do. After all, I have no one else to lean on but them if I later realize that I’ve made a bad choice. They are there to tell you the possible consequences of what you are about to do because, chances are, they’ve already experienced this when they were younger.”
Andrea agreed and added that she would often ask for a family meeting before agreeing on or turning down a movie or TV project.
“They help me make decisions by presenting options. They encourage me to say ‘yes’ if they believe I can do something but is just not feeling too confident about myself. They also explain why they think I should just let an offer go. While I do the leg work, my mom and eldest sister help me with other things. We’re a good team.”
Seth and Andrea, who, before disbanding were collectively known as SethDrea, are promoting the first-ever iWantTFC original musical series “Lyric and Beat,” which will start streaming on Aug. 10.
Interesting subplot
Andrea plays Lyric, a bubbly and aspiring singer who will form a special friendship with Beat (Seth), a soft-spoken dancer. The series also stars Darren Espanto, AC Bonifacio, Jeremy G, Angela Ken, Sheena Belarmino, Awra Briguela and Kyle Echarri.
While the series is all about a group of individuals striving to fulfill their dreams, Seth said Lyric and Beat also have an interesting subplot.
“They are a tag-team. While they are part of Team Werpa, Beat is mostly just focused on Lyric,” he explained.
“We will be part of a love triangle—something which the audience has to watch out for—but in the end, we’re really partners. A song will not be complete without a beat or without lyrics. Our characters are like that to each other,” added Andrea. INQ